“Warneford Aeroplane” (ca 1915) – The elder statesman of my collection is this rubber-powered aircraft from England.  Like the first Wright Flyer, the Warneford uses a canard-type configuration … with a small stabilizer (canard) in front and a large wing at the back.  It’s exquisitely constructed with a wood framework, tiny metal pegs at each joint and a silk-covered wing & canard.  It came fully completed from the factory … a true RTF airplane.  All the owner had to do was to clip on the wing and canard … wind the prop … and let her go.

Ideal “Loop the Loop” glider (ca 1920-21) – This glider was produced by the Ideal Aeroplane & Supply Co (NY) and was one of the first good performing and relatively affordable ready-to-fly toy gliders.  They appeared in Ideal catalogs as early as 1914.  Two versions of this design were available … one using “fibreboard” for the wing & canard … and a more expensive version using wood for these components.  This particular example is the wooden version.  Founded in 1911, Ideal was one of the largest producers of model airplane kits and supplies in the US well into the 1940’s. 

Broadfield “American Eagle” catapult launch glider (ca late 1920’s) – The Eagle is another canard configured glider … which were popular in the 1920’s.  The canard sat in a notch that provided several different degrees of up-angle, depending on whether you wanted long glides or aerobatic loops.  Also included in the original kit was a launch stick with a lengthy rubber band.  The box indicated that you could stretch the launch rubber out to 8-10 feet or more, to properly launch the glider.  (Wow!)  Unfortunately over time, the rubber in my kit had petrified and broken into tiny bits.

Also notable with this kit was the wonderful artwork on the box.  You can clearly see the two suggested launch methods … the catapult stick pushed into the ground or the stick being ably held by an assistant.  The box also showed girls enjoying the fun of flying the Eagle.  Imagine that … girls flying airplanes!

Broadfield glider No.54 “Smiling Jack” (ca 1930’s) – This unusual mid-size glider (12 inch wingspan) was undoubtedly an homage to intrepid pilot Jack Martin of the comic strip “The Adventures of Smilin’ Jack”.  The comic strip, created by cartoonist and pilot Zack Mosley, made its debut in the Chicago Tribute on October 1, 1933 and ran for 40 years.  (An example of a comic strip from 1934 can be viewed below.)  The Smilin’ Jack character also flew into comic books and onto a radio show sponsored by Tootsie Roll candy. 

Aside from his great success as a cartoonist, Zack Mosley was a co-founder of the Civil Air Patrol.  He received a USAF air medal for flying patrol missions off the Atlantic coast during the early months of WW2, and in 1976 was inducted into the Civil Air Patrol–USAF Hall of Honor.  I’m certain his own flying experiences provided the basis for some of the exploits of Smilin’ Jack Martin, his fictitious hero.

The Smiling Jack glider came in a heavy paper envelope for the standard Broadfield No. 54 glider.  The envelope has detailed assembly instructions, flying “tips” and imaginative drawings of children playing with their sailplanes.  In addition, the smaller Baby Hawk glider (10 inch wingspan) was included in the same envelope when I got it.  Since the wing printing was done in the same orange color, these two gliders could have been intended as a set.  (Perhaps they were a promotional or mail-in item for the radio show.)  

Although Broadfield gliders may not have been the best flyers of their day, the packaging was unmatched for its detailed information and fanciful artwork.  As seen with these gliders (and the Spirit of St Louis glider elsewhere in this section) Broadfield used colorful markings to honor aviation heroes of the period.  Clearly these toys were not intended to be accurate depictions of aircraft made famous by these aviators … that was left to the imagination of the lucky kids who got them.  But they were still something very special for the youngsters … and now, small reminders of a bygone era for us.

“Boomerang Plane” (ca 1930’s) – This unusual bi-plane catapult glider is attributed to the Brown Manufacturing Co of Clinton (MO).  Not only are two identical wings used on the glider, but a small rubber catapult is incorporated into the rubber nosepiece.   As its name “promises”, if you adjust the wings properly it will (may?) return to your general location after being launched. 

Cleveland “Mustang” ROG (ca late 1940’s) – This beautifully made ROG was the only rubber-powered RTF airplane sold by the legendary Cleveland Model & Supply Co of Cleveland (OH).  According to company sources, it was only made for a short period of time.  Relatively few of these Mustangs are known to have survived to this day.

Top Flite “Jet 80” toss glider (ca 1970’s) – Seemingly a late entry to the “toy” glider market, Top Flite produced this rather nice looking glider as part of a relatively large RTF product line.  However, with no airfoil and virtually no dihedral, it was probably a marginal performer (except indoors).  The quality of the balsa was also quite low.

Cleveland “Cloud King” towline glider (ca 1949-52) - The largest vintage RTF glider in my collection is this magnificent towline glider from the Cleveland Model & Supply Company.  With a wingspan of 36 inches, it dwarfed just about every other RTF “toy” glider of its day.  By comparison, the AJ Army Interceptor glider seen in the photo with the Cloud King (and seen in the American Junior section of this article) has an 18 inch wingspan. 

Despite this glider’s large size, assembly is amazingly fast and simple.  The wings slide easily into the one-piece metal wing support.  The small metal tabs are bent down to secure the wings in place.  The wing support was fabricated to provide both dihedral and airfoil shaping … enhancing the efficiency of the airfoil-steamed wings.  After you attach the completed wing assembly onto the fuselage, just slip the tail components into their respective slots and you are ready for flight.

I assume Cleveland intended the glider to be launched via a towline rather than using a hand-held catapult stick.  The Cloud King is just too large for any catapult stick to be very effective. 

After its completion, this particular glider sat on a shelf for about 40 years in the office complex of Cleveland’s legendary founder Ed Packard.  Mr. Packard gave the glider to a company guest in 1991, as Cleveland employees were preparing to relocate business operations to a much smaller facility.  The Cloud King is a marvel of engineering and manufacturing expertise ... hallmarks of Ed Packard’s iconic company.

Stanzel “Aeromic Streak” toss glider (ca 1960’s) – Manufactured in Schulenburg, Texas by Victor Stanzel & Company, this plastic and balsa glider probably had difficulty competing with the all-wood gliders in its 15 inch wingspan class.  With a somewhat heavy (but durable) plastic fuselage and no wing dihedral, its performance was undoubtedly a bit lacking.  This example was clearly flown several times … showing some wing damage.  But its owner appeared to have quickly given up on it and placed it back in its box, where it has remained to this time.

The Stanzel Company was most respected for their gas-powered, control line kit airplanes of the 1940’s and 50’s, but most remembered for their mass-produced plastic toys in the post-1950 period.